What to do this holiday season after presents are opened, food eaten, conversation dwindles and people are sneaking off with cell phones to text friends or check game scores? Fresher than board games, more interactive than puzzles, way more fun than talking about who in their right mind would vote for Trump: make personalized emoji […]

Hard water is not so much a people issue (studies indicate that high mineral levels are more likely a health benefit than hazard), it’s just a plumbing nuisance. Cold water isn’t a problem, but when water gets heated, carbon dioxide in the water evaporates and calcium carbonate salt deposits get left behind. So it’s the […]

How smart is this nut warning on a stack of cookies? Like a pirate flag, the lone walnut waves its warning to those on the lookout for a nut attack. Thanks to my smarty pants friend Nancy for this cute and pithy signal. I love sharing recipes, but eclectic discovery days are my favorites here…and […]

I need to start thinking of my birthday the way I think of my blogiversary. Now that I’m on the scary road past 40, I’m not sure what it is I’m supposed to celebrate on birthdays anymore. But as I mark four years of this blog’s existence, the reasons to celebrate are happily clear: another […]

The latest food trend is…no food at all? Plus the right way to peel a banana, and some sweet and silly links to make you smile. Soylent beige It’s so Silicon Valley: a young engineer tires of eating instant ramen, corn dogs, frozen quesadillas and vitamin C pills with his limited funds. Does he figure […]

I put off my discovery posts until I have enough to share, and in the end I find I have too much. Today’s collection includes the coolest technology I’ve seen in ages, the entrepreneurial story behind the kid-craze rubber band bracelets, a life hack for cleaning up broken glass (a too-common need in our house), […]

This week, I found the yin to all the Lean In yang – in the story of Bill Watterson. Remember Calvin and Hobbes, the iconic cartoon strip? Bill Watterson is the artist who had a blazing 10-year run from 1985-1995, abruptly closing shop at the height of his mega-success and quietly retiring back to his […]

On tap this week – a kitchen hack, a hydrangea trick, a favorite bauble, a book recommendation and a music obsession. And it’s my blogiversary! Time for my annual celebration giveaway – in honor of our three years together, three of you lovely readers will win a prize: Customize a cool bauble of your own, […]

Go to Google’s home page today for a delightful tribute to Maurice Sendak, on what would have been the author/illustrator’s 85th birthday. Sendak died last May, the day after my dad, and that week NPR’s Fresh Air replayed a wonderful interview he had with Terry Gross in 2011. Honest and thoughtful in discussing his life […]

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chinese grandma is a philosophy about food, family, health and practicality inspired by old-school grandmas everywhere. It's about cooking good food, living a good life, and sharing lessons learned. More about me...